Quistis And Seifer
by generalquistis
Summary: Quistis And Seifer... judging by the title, this is a Quiefer/Seiftis... The first chapter is about Quistis doing something great for Seifer, which makes him a little bit confused... don't wanna spoil the fun, so just read it, okay???
1. Seifer's Detention

Quistis and Seifer

by: General Quistis

Chapter I: Seifer's Detention

Disclaimer: I don't own anything…

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Insane.

That's what he is…

Insane.

"BAH! So what if they're accusing me of being insane?! I'm not insane?! Maybe they're the ones who are insane because they don't really know what I'm thinking and they keep on accusing me of being the meanest and the worst student in this goddamn Garden!?" Seifer yelled in annoyance as he entered his dorm room and slammed the door shut before anyone could even follow him.

The door almost hit Selphie's nose as it slammed shut against her face. She jumped away in surprise but slowly approached the door again in a freakish manner and began banging on it. "SEIFER! OPEN THE DOOR!" she called out.

"DAMN! Get outta here, you turd!" he yelled from inside.

"Are you going to lock yourself in there forever until they say sorry to you?" she asked.

"The hell you care?!" he yelled out.

"But…"

"GO TO YOUR CHICKEN-WUSS FRIEND AND QUIT BOTHERING ME!" Seifer yelled as Selphie heard an object crash on the door from inside which made her jump away from it again.

"Geez, okay! Okay, I was just trying to be nice to you because Rinoa said so that at least we should try to be nice to you and…" she kept on babbling.

Seifer rolled his eyes and snickered sarcastically. "Nice to me? DUH! Be nice to me my ass!" he shouted back as he went to the window and looked outside. He frowned when he saw the other students standing outside his window and peeking inside. He flashed them a what-are-you-doing-here look, which sent them running away.

He laughed hysterically. "Pathetic creatures!" he said aloud.

          From outside, Selphie and Rinoa were listening to him. "Gee… I doubted if he's really insane but now I think it's true… he's talking to himself…" Rinoa said to Selphie.

Selphie nodded. "Yeah… you think we should report this kind of behavior?" she asked.

"Nah, let him be. Maybe he's just having one of those days." Squall said as he approached them from the entrance door.

"Squall, he's always having one of those days!" Rinoa told him.

"Okay, I know. But he's going overboard this time. He even disrespected Cid." Squall told them.

"He did?" Rinoa asked, hardly believing it.

"Yeah… don't you know?" Selphie asked.

"I just arrived from town. When I got here, a few students approached me and told me about Seifer throwing a fit and then hitting Cid on the nose." Rinoa replied.

"I think it was just an accident." Selphie decided.

"No, if it's Seifer, it's not an accident anymore!" Zell remarked, butting in from the entrance. "So, what's the lapdog doing inside? Eating Pedigree?" he joked.

"I HEARD THAT, DAMMIT!" Seifer yelled from inside.

"Say, maybe if we annoy him, he'll come out! Yeah, that's it… then we can tie him up so that we can bring him to Cid and then he'll decide what to do with him!" Selphie whispered to them.

"That's mean." Rinoa remarked.

"But Cid wants to see him! He's in the infirmary getting his nose treated." Zell reported.

"We know that but how are we going to get that lapdog out of there?" Selphie asked.

"STOP CALLING ME _LAPDOG_!" Seifer yelled from inside.

"LAPDOG, LAPDOG, LAPDOG!" Zell and Selphie chanted.

"Hey, hey, what's going on in here?" a garden faculty asked, entering with a scowl on his face.

The 4 faced him with surprised expressions. "Oh, sir… Seifer is inside and he doesn't want to come out because the others called him _insane_." Rinoa told him.

"Yeah, because he hit Headmaster Cid's nose and the poor headmaster didn't even do anything to him. We figured that he must be losing it or something's wrong with his hypothalamus or something…" Selphie explained.

          From inside, Seifer was already tapping his right foot impatiently on the floor while his arms were crossed. "Blah, blah, blah…" he mimicked Selphie and Rinoa. Then, he went to the door and was surprised that it didn't even open. "Uh-oh…" he thought.

          "There, I think that's enough punishment for him. Headmaster Cid ordered that we lock him up in there for a while until he calms down." The Garden faculty told them.

"Maybe we should just send him to an insane asylum." Zell suggested with a sly smile.

"What if he goes bonkers inside and kills himself?" Rinoa asked.

"He won't." Squall assured her.

"How can you be sure?" she asked.

"He isn't stupid enough, I guess; he knows that if he kills himself, he's **really** **stupid**!" Squall said, making his voice loud enough for Seifer to hear.

          Seifer clenched his fists and began to punch the door violently. "PUBERTY-BOY! YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO STRESS IT! *ugh* get me out of here!" he shouted angrily.

"Moments ago, you locked yourself inside, now you want to go out. You're really crazy!" Zell teased.

Seifer took a deep breath and released it. "But I need to go to the bathroom…" he muttered to himself, feeling so glum all of a sudden as he went to his bed. "OKAY, BUT DON'T GIVE ME A SANCTION IF I PISS ON THIS WALL!" he yelled.

          "That's gross!" Rinoa and Selphie reacted.

"He **is**gross." Zell called out, enough for Seifer to hear.

Unfortunately, Seifer didn't even bother to react to that one because he was too busy figuring out how he could get out of there and finally go to the bathroom.

"Leave him there." The Garden Faculty told them as he exited.

"Is he going to be fed?" Zell asked as he followed.

The others followed after him.

"Yeah. One of you SeeDs will feed him later. We'll choose by random." The faculty replied.

"I'm not a SeeD, so I guess I'll just stay calm." Rinoa told them with a happy smile.

"What's wrong with feeding Seifer?" Selphie asked.

"Can't we just let him starve? I'll eat his share of food!" Zell whined like a kid.

"If he dies there of starvation, his ghost might haunt us."  Rinoa warned.

"Shut up, Zell. That's mean!" Selphie scolded.

"I was just kidding!" he replied with a silly look on his face.

As they silently continued their way to the lobby, they were thinking of skipping their next class and just spend their remaining time outside the Garden where they won't be spotted so that they won't be the ones to feed Seifer.

          Cid looked at the clock and read the time. "18:30… time for his dinner." He decided as he stood up from his chair. 

Then, a Garden Faculty entered. "Headmaster, how's your nose?" he asked.

"It stopped bleeding. Anyway, it's time to feed Seifer." Cid told him.

"Sir, bad news. The students went out. They seem to be avoiding the responsibility of feeding Almasy." The faculty explained.

Cid frowned slightly. "All of them?!" he said, hardly believing it, suddenly feeling the blood coming out from his nose again so he pinched it and began to breathe through his mouth. "Try the P.A. system. Contact anyone in here. Make them report to me immediately." He commanded, though it didn't sound quite clear because of him pinching his nose.

"Uh… yes, sir." The faculty replied before exiting.

          _"All SeeD Cadets, please assemble at the Headmaster's Office; I repeat: All SeeD Cadets, please assemble at the Headmaster's Office, thank you_." 

Quistis stood up from her study desk and let go of the pen she was holding. She removed her glasses and quickly made her way to the Headmaster's Office from her dorm room. When she got there, Fuujin and Raijin were the only ones there with Headmaster Cid. She frowned slightly upon seeing them. "Those misguided demons…" she thought to herself as she joined them. 

They waited for a few more moments without anyone speaking and finally, Headmaster Cid began to speak. "I wonder why there are non-SeeD cadets here." He said, eyeing Fuujin and Raijin.

"Maybe they are expecting that you'll give the responsibility to them. Don't, sir, they might let him escape!" the faculty whispered.

 Cid nodded. "Dismissed." He told the two.

The two looked at each other annoyingly and they left miserably, leaving Quistis completely confused. 

"W…what's going on?" she asked Cid.

"Oh, nothing. We just want you to go to the dormitory with a tray of food from the Cafeteria and then to Almasy's room and feed him." Cid told her.

She blinked and raised an eyebrow. "What?" she asked.

"You heard me, Trepe. Now do it." Cid said with a stern tone.

She nodded quietly and walked out slowly. She looked around the whole place when she reached the lobby. "Where'd everyone go?" she thought in annoyance.

          "I REALLY GOTTA GO TO THE BATHROOM!!!!!" Seifer yelled out in annoyance. He looked out the window and tapped the glass. "Hmm… if I break this, they wouldn't notice… or maybe they would because of the alarm…" he thought. Then, he got his Hyperion and pointed the tip to the door. "If I destroy that automatic door, the alarm might sound… and then I'll escape and probably some stupid officer or guard or faculty will block my way before I could even reach the gate." He thought. He dropped his weapon on the bed and sighed heavily.

Then, he was surprised when the door finally opened but instead of thinking about escaping, he stopped his thoughts when he saw someone he didn't expect to be there. He smiled at her. "Quistis!" he said joyfully while looking at her clueless face.

She stepped inside with a tray of food. "Okay, what did you do this time?" she asked.

"I just punched Headmaster Cid's nose out of fun." He replied proudly.

She shrugged. "Figures…" she said as the door closed by itself. "I've set the door on time lock. It will open again after 30 minutes." She told him.

"30 minutes? Hmmm… I could knock her down and then make sure she's unconscious for 30 minutes or so and then bust out of here for good!" he thought with an evil smirk as he eyed her from head to toe. She frowned slightly as she placed the tray of food on the study table. "If you're thinking of knocking me down and wait for the door to unlock itself again to escape for good, you're making a big mistake." She told him.

His smile faded. "Why would I think of anything mean like that to you, Instructor Trepe?" he asked innocently.

"Knowing you, you already thought of that." She snapped as she got her whip. "NOW EAT!" she commanded.

He clenched his fists. "I need to go to the bathroom first." He said.

"No, you eat first." She said impatiently.

"I NEED TO PEE!" he said with a slight blush.

She laughed at what he said.

He frowned at her. "If I get a Urinary Tract Infection, I'll make sure you pay my hospital bills." He told her.

She stopped laughing and got the glass of water. "Hey, stare at this, will ya?" she teased.

He bit his lower lip when he got a glimpse of the crystal-clear water in the glass. He instantly looked away when he felt that he really, really needed to go. "Oh, please!" he begged, feeling annoyed.

"Just kidding. Why don't you just finish your dinner first before you go to the bathroom?" she asked, putting the glass down.

"Why don't you just let me out of here?" he asked.

"Because it isn't right! I'm not Headmaster Cid to command myself to release you, now eat." She told him.

He sneered and went to the study table and began to gobble up the food. She went to the window as he ate and stared outside at the night sky. "What happened?" she asked.

He looked up at her. "They told me that I'm insane." He said.

"Come to think of it…" she muttered.

"Ha?!" he stood up. 

She smiled evilly. "If you don't stop acting like a turd and behave, then maybe they'll think that you're normal." She told him.

"I'm just being myself! Is that wrong?" he asked with a confused look as he sat down again to eat.

She sighed heavily. "But they don't understand you." She told him.

"I know. That's why they call me that… you know that people give negative names to other people they don't understand, right? Well that's exactly what they're doing to me… and it isn't funny!" he told her.

"Well, well, well, look who's talking! Then why are you calling Squall _Puberty Boy_ and Zell _Chicken-wuss_?" she asked with a challenging look.

He began to choke on his food. "Arrgh…" was all he could say.

She ran to him and tried to do the Heimlich Maneuver on him but she quite forgot where to put her hands. Instead of squeezing them on his diaphragm she squeezed on the stomach itself and he almost barfed. "ARGH! DAMMIT! DON'T SQUEEZE!" he yelled in annoyance.

She let go of him and frowned. "I was just trying to help!" she told him.

"Well you were trying to kill me!" he told her as he took the glass of water and began to drink. "At least it slid down my throat…" he muttered. Then, he began to feel annoyed. "OH! Look what you made me do! I drank water and now… Quistis, please, I really need to go to the bathroom." He pleaded.

"NO." she replied sternly, crossing her arms.

"ARRRRGH!" He roared.

"Don't roar! You'll break the glass." She said with a nasty look.

"Geez, be thankful I was trained to be nice to ladies like you, otherwise, I would've pissed on your face moments ago and kick your ass outta here!" he told her.

"Frankly speaking, Seifer, I think you're not being nice already." She told him as she sat down on the bed and began to play with her whip while giving it an okay-if-he-does-something-stupid-to-me-I'll-use-you-to-strangle-him look.

He backed off a little and began to eat again. Moments later, he finished his meal. "Okay, I'm done. Now can you please take me to the bathroom now?" he asked.

"What happened?" she asked again, turning to him.

He sat down. "I already explained it to you," he started.

"NO, I mean, are they punishing you?" she asked.

He smiled sarcastically. "What do you think?" he asked.

She looked down to the floor. "Sorry," she said.

"Okay, so now can I go to the bathroom?" he asked.

"Nope. We still have 15 minutes to kill." She told him with a silly smile.

He face-faulted. "OH MAN!" he wailed, letting himself fall to the floor.

She raised an eyebrow, looking at him. "Gee… now I think you're crazy!" she said. He stood up. "I don't, I just want to feel some pain so that my attention will be diverted to it and I'll forget that I REALLY NEED TO PISS!" he yelled angrily.

"Well, why didn't you tell me that you wanted to feel pain???" she asked, standing up and cracking her whip on the floor.

He raised a hand to her. "No, not that, please…" he said, backing off a little. She sat down again. "So, what's it like not being able to go to the bathroom?" she asked.

"It's horrible… especially if your former instructor is the one preventing you from doing so… I'd rather have a bad mark." He told her.

She ignored him and went to the door. She knocked on it six times.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Just playing around. What else am I going to do here?" she asked.

"I don't know… maybe let me escape by breaking the window and then taking the blame for it?" he asked.

"AHA! I know what to do! I'm thinking of holding a baseball bat and then giving you an evil glare and then running to you and then hitting you repeatedly with it as if you're the ball!" she told him with an impatient look.

"That's fun." He told her with a sarcastic smile.

"Yeah, maybe you could let me borrow your Gunblade so that it could serve as my bat." She said as she went to the bed and sat down again.

Then there was silence. He interrupted it when he remembered something. "Hey, by the way, why are you the one in here?" he asked.

"Because the others went out and it seems like the only people left here are me, you, Raijin, Fuujin, Cid, the faculty and the other staff plus the nurse and the librarian and some guards…" she said glumly.

"I'm sure the students and the SeeDs went out because they really hate me, huh?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I don't think so. Maybe they're just afraid of you." She said.

"I think by now they're in town in that bar and then talking about me, saying negative stuff about me and then pitying you for being in here with me… Ugh, I could just imagine the facial expression of that Chicken-wuss… what's his name again?" he asked.

"Zell Dincht… you see? You call them names and you forget their real ones!" she snapped.

He rolled his eyes. "Quit that nagging talk, will ya? I don't appreciate it. Besides, you're not my instructor anymore." He told her.

She ignored him and once again, silence took over.

Seifer began to pace around back and forth, counting the minutes until the door unlocks itself again and hoping that Quistis would fall asleep so that he could sneak out and lock her inside.

Finally, the 30 minutes were over and Quistis stood up from the bed and went to the door. However, she was surprised when the automatic door didn't open when she stood before it. "Uh-oh…" she muttered.

He smiled evilly. "Looks like you can't trust technology anymore, huh?" he asked with a teasing look.

She tried to keep calm but she began to bang on the door. "HELLO? ANYONE IN THERE?!" she called out.

"Hahahahaahahaha! Now you're gonna feel what's it like to be an outcast, Trepie!" he said.

She gritted her teeth and faced him. "What did you call me?" she demanded.

"Trepie… as in T-R-E-P-I-E, Trepie." He said.

She smiled. "Why, Seifer, I didn't know you're kind enough to annoy me while I'm still here to remind you that you need to pee?" she asked.

His smile faded. "Oh damn…" he muttered as he went to the door. "What did you do to the door?" he asked.

"I don't know." she replied.

"Maybe it's jammed." He told her.

"It can't be jammed, it's an automatic door." She argued.

"Accidents happen!" he snapped.

"Oh, yeah right… and at bad timing!" she told him as she tried to push the door to the left but it didn't even budge. "Ugh… rats!" she cursed angrily and then kicking the door.

"You look funny when you're mad! Stop kicking the door." He told her with a laugh.

She rolled her eyes and got her whip. "THAT'S IT! I'm breaking that window!" she told him as she approached the window.

He smiled excitedly. "THAT'S THE SPIRIT, TREPENATOR! Go, go, go!" he cheered happily.

She stopped. "What?" she asked.

"Bad thing to say…" he muttered to himself.

"Never mind…" she told him as she faced the window again. 

"How come you do not seem to like the idea of getting stuck in here?" he asked.

"If it's Zell or Irvine or Squall or even Raijin or Wedge or that Mean Guy, I think it's okay, but you? I don't think so…" she told him with a grossed-out expression.

"Why? Do I look like a cockroach or something that can scare the wits out of you, huh, instructor?" he asked.

She shuddered at the thought of him growing antennas and more legs like a roach. She shook her head and faced him. "Seifer, Seifer, Seifer… why do you always tend to look for fights?" she asked.

He fell silent and looked away. "Quistis, just break the window unless you want to see me piss on your skirt!" he told her as he headed for the window.

Quistis frowned and sat down on the bed. "Why don't you just break it yourself? Are you afraid to take the blame and get punished harder than this one? Maybe someone will just look for me or something and they'll know that I'm still here and they can fix the door and get me out of here." She told him.

"Like it will happen the next second!" he told her.

She was quiet.

He sighed. "I'll break the window and I don't care if they expel me just because of it!" he told her, taking his Gunblade and aiming at the window.

Her eyes grew wide and she stood up, wanting to protest but it was too late…

          "What was that?!" Cid stood up from his desk in surprise when he heard a loud crash followed by the security alarm.

          Quistis felt so panicky because of the security alarm. "Oh no…" she muttered. Seifer jumped out of the window and she tried to go after him but she stopped when she reached the window. "SEIFER!" she called out. The cool night breeze blew through her hair and made her shiver. She frowned, trying to maintain her poise as she climbed out of the room through the window.

          Raijin, Fuujin, a Garden Faculty, a security guard and Headmaster Cid arrived at the dormitory room of Seifer and were surprised that they could not open the door. "Quistis, are you inside?" Cid called out.

No answer.

"Seifer?" he called out.

Still no answer.

Raijin and Fuujin were beginning to feel worried about Seifer. "Headmaster, do you think they're okay?" Fuujin asked with a worried look.

"I'm sure Seifer isn't that bad to hurt a girl like Quistis, ya know…" Raijin told them.

The security guard got a revolver. "I'll just shoot the door." He told them; however, before he could proceed, they heard footsteps heading their way. When they turned to the other end of the hallway, they saw Quistis and Seifer running to them.

"Seifer!" Raijin and Fuujin said in relief.

Cid frowned slightly when he saw Quistis and Seifer. "Could you explain to me what is going on?" he asked, trying to keep his voice solemn and calm.

The two stopped when they got near the Headmaster. "Chill out, man! I really needed to pee!" Seifer replied with a cool expression.

"Who broke the window?" Cid asked.

Before Seifer could proudly announce what he did, Quistis spoke up with a tense tone. "I did it, sir…" 

They all turned to Quistis with surprised looks on their faces. Cid's frown disappeared. "Quistis Trepe! I am so surprised at you doing a thing like that!" he told her, hardly believing it.

Quistis faked a smile. "I know… sir… but it was for Seifer. He really needed to go and since the door was jammed, I figured that the only way to get out is the window… so I broke it and we got out. But sir, don't worry, I accompanied him to the bathroom." She explained, quite hesitant.

Raijin and Fuujin looked at each other, then to Seifer. Seifer had this confused look on his face. "Quisty," he began in an almost hoarse whisper.

She gently elbowed his arm to make his shut up. "Seriously, Headmaster Cid. I did it." She said.

Cid was still shocked at her behavior. He nodded his head gently. "Okay, Quistis… I have no choice but to permanently cancel your instructor's license renewal in this garden because of such behavior and you are suspended for one month. You have destroyed private garden property on purpose and therefore, you will be punished as said in the garden charter." He told her, feeling a bit sorry.

She nodded but her eyes were stuck to the ground. Her fists were clenched and she could feel her heart beating faster. Her knees felt wobbly and weak.

"As for you, Seifer, your punishment is over." Cid told him.

Seifer didn't smile but he just nodded his head.

Quistis walked away from them as soon as Cid, the security guard and the garden faculty exited. Seifer watched her as she took wobbly steps to the hall leading to the SeeD dorm rooms. 

"Seifer, this is really unbelievable…" Fuujin told him with a happy smile.

"Yeah! You got us real worried, ya know!" Raijin said.

Seifer ignored them and he ran after Quistis. "Quistis," he called out.

She didn't stop until she reached her room. The door automatically opened for her and she stepped inside, her head feeling so light. "Leave me alone, Seifer. Aren't you glad I risked my neck for you?" she told him as she fell down to her bed and stared up at the ceiling.

Seifer entered and the door closed by itself. "What's the matter with you?!" he demanded.

"And you're mad at me! Thank you very much, Seifer Almasy!" she said sarcastically, turning to her side and hiding her face in her hands.

"Why did you do that?" he asked.

She sat up and faced him. "I just think that you deserve a break… you know, coz everytime something bad happens, they blame it on you… and me? I'm tired of playing goody-goody and so I had to do that for you." She told him with tear-stained eyes. She blinked twice and was not surprised to feel them falling.

He frowned and laughed smugly. "You like to play hero and then you end up crying?" he asked as he sat down beside her.

She wiped them away but it was no use. More tears fell from her lovely blue eyes. "I'm not regretting this… even though I'll never be able to be an instructor again and… and even if I'm suspended for a month." She told him, her voice trembling as she spoke.

"Quisty," he said gently as he touched her cheek and made her face him. "Quisty, you should've just let me face the consequences." He told her gently.

She pushed him away. "Don't touch me!" she told him as she stood up and went to the window, looking up at the night sky. She sniffed and dried her eyes. 

He smiled gently and bowed down his head. "Thank you," he said in a low tone.

She frowned slightly. "Yeah, yeah… go on and live your life and get out of here!" she snapped.

Then, she was surprised when she turned around because he was already standing there before her. She wasn't able to speak. 

"I will not get out of here until I can be sure that you are okay." He told her.

"I'm okay! Now go!" she said, pointing to the door.

He shook his head. "Quistis, you're a stupid girl, you know that? Why? Because you took the blame and you ended up getting punished and then you end up crying like this, acting like a chicken-wuss! If so, then you should've just kept your mouth shut and let me out of this stupid Garden!" he told her in a harsh manner, almost like a yell.

"I was only trying to be nice!" she told him.

"Why?" he asked impatiently.

She smiled sadly and looked down. "You wouldn't understand even if I tell you," she told him as more tears fell from her eyes. "Quistis," he said softly as he took her in his arms and embraced her gently, rubbing her back to comfort her. 

She smiled bitterly and clenched her fists, trying to keep calm.

Finally, her sobs had eased and her breathing had returned to normal. Still, they stood there, Seifer hugging her and patting her head, feeling the softness of her blonde hair. He smiled, feeling relieved that she finally stopped crying. Then, he looked at her and saw that her eyes were shut. He frowned slightly when he realized that she fell asleep. "Heck… how long have I been holding you?" he asked himself, looking at the wall clock. It read 9:00.

He crinkled his nose. "Funny how time passes by quickly…" he muttered as he carried her to the bed. He removed her boots and placed the blanket over her body up to her chest. He switched off the lamplight and bent down, removing the clamp that held her hair up and placing it on the bedside table. He smiled gently and kissed her hair softly. "Good night, instructor…" he whispered softly against her ear. She shifted, facing away from him and hugging the pillow beside her. "Seifer…" she murmured. His smile widened when he heard her say his name… 

Beautiful.

With that, he got out of the room.

-----

Author's Note: so, how'd you guys like that? Chapter II's up! Go and proceed!


	2. Family Ties *duh*

Quistis & Seifer…

By: General Quistis

Chapter II: Family Ties *duh*

…..disclaimier: I don't own anything except for the story plot.

-----------------------------------

Seifer opened his eyes the next day when he heard his door open. He sat up immediately and there was Squall already dressed in his SeeD uniform. "Hey, get out of those nasty pajamas. Someone's here to see you." Squall told him.

Seifer frowned upon seeing him. "Get out of here, puberty-boy! How am I supposed to get dressed with you around?" he asked as he stood up from his bed. "And who is the one to see me?" he demanded as he headed for his closet.

"She's waiting for you at the Headmaster's office." Squall said before going out.

Seifer stopped and blinked. "She?" he asked.

          When Seifer heard Cid saying, "Come in!", he stepped inside the office with his gaze at the lady wearing an elegant office uniform. He stopped in his tracks. "Who…?!" he started.

The lady smiled at him. "Seifer," she began.

Cid smiled at him. "Come here, boy." He told him.

Seifer hated it when he calls him that, but he wasn't able to react because of the stranger. Seifer approached them. "Hey, who's she?" he asked, trying to sound calm.

"Seifer, I'd like you to meet your real mother… surprised you huh?" Cid asked with a fine smile. 

Seifer studied the woman: blonde hair, blue eyes, taller than Fuujin… He smiled shyly. "How come you only showed up now?" he asked, not meaning to sound a little rude.

Mrs. Almasy smiled gently at him. "Seifer, I admit that it's mine and your father's fault that we decided to let go of you 18 years ago because things had been difficult for us back then. But now that everything's fine… you and father are willing to take you back, isn't that right, Headmaster Cid?" she asked with a happy smile on her face as she turned to the Headmaster.

Cid nodded with a smile. "I'm sure Seifer's looking forward to being with you again… especially since you folks have a lot to catch up with one another." he said.

Seifer smiled weakly. "Oh… I see… I really don't know what to say but…" he stopped himself when he realized that he almost said that he does not have any time to go back home… he still has more things to take care of especially regarding Quistis…

Mrs. Almasy patted her son's shoulder. "Seifer, my boy, aren't you supposed to be in your SeeD uniform?" she asked.

Cid's smile faded and Seifer frowned.

"What's wrong?" Mrs. Almasy asked.

"Well… I'm afraid to tell you, ma'am, that Seifer has been failing every SeeD exam he'd taken every now and then." Cid explained.

"True, true… now are you going to disown me now that you know that your son is nothing to be proud of?" Seifer snapped at his mother…

Typical of him to say that even to someone like his own mother…

She just smiled gently at him. "Of course not, dear! I could never do that! In fact, it's fine with me! I know that you need time, dear… but I hope that the next time you take the exam, you will pass." She said gently.

Seifer was not expecting her to react that way. "What for? Everyone hates me! Have you seen my report card? I got a failing mark on conduct!" he told her.

Mrs. Almasy turned to Cid. "Headmaster Cid, what is the matter with this Garden and why is my son telling me all of these?" she asked with a stern expression.

Cid began to narrate to Mrs. Almasy all the wrong things Seifer had done in the past few days. As he was talking, the accused just rolled his eyes and stared into empty space, thinking that if his life story as a student at Balamb Garden would be published as a book, it would be the longest life-story ever. 

Bullying, vulgarity, yadda, yadda, yadda…

He frowned at the accusations. "Accusations? They're true…" he thought bitterly. And yesterday, Quistis took the blame for his new crime and is already suffering at present. Upon remembering her, he stood up and excused himself.

"Where are you going?" Mrs. Almasy asked her son, cutting Cid's next statement.

Seifer went straight to the door. "I'm going to see Miss Trepe." He said.

"Oh, Seifer, didn't anyone inform you that her father fetched her early this morning?" Cid asked, stopping him.

Seifer stopped and turned to them, wide-eyed. "What?" he asked in almost a whisper.

Cid nodded his head. "Since she is suspended, she is not allowed to be in the Garden. I reported the incident to General Trepe last night and he came this morning to get her and take her home for a month. It's also a vacation for her. She looks so stressed out." He explained with a solemn look on his face.

"Who's General Trepe?" Seifer asked with a ridiculous look on his face.

"He's Quistis' foster father…he and his wife were the ones who adopted her years ago.

Seifer turned to his mother and if facial expressions could speak, hers would already be asking, "Dearie, who is Quistis?" 

He smiled at the thought and shrugged. "Oh well, I guess I will just go down to the cafeteria and eat my breakfast." He told them before he left the office.

When he got into the elevator, he pressed the first floor button and the door closed. Then, he looked up to the door when the elevator stopped and the door opened up once again. Fuujin and Zell were surprised to see Seifer, especially the latter. 

Seifer frowned slightly and moved away a little, avoiding their gaze. Fuujin stepped inside and Zell followed, eyeing Seifer like he was some kind of insect. 

Fuujin could sense the tension in Seifer so she didn't even bother to speak up and greet him. She just stayed away from him, just like what Zell did as soon as the elevator door closed.

The elevator began to move down again and then finally, it reached the first floor and the door opened up once again. Seifer was the first one to step out of the elevator; Fuujin followed and Zell ran out, going down the stairs. Seifer followed him with his perplexed gaze and called out, "Zell!"

Fuujin and Zell were surprised. The latter stopped and turned to face Seifer who was approaching him. Zell held on to the railing in case Seifer would push him down on purpose. He tried to keep cool, wanting to avoid fights with Seifer. "Say, did I just hear you call me by my first name and not _chicken-wuss_?" he asked with a silly face.

Seifer smiled and laughed smugly. "It wouldn't hurt to change, right?" he asked, then turning to Fuujin with a nasty smirk. "Eh, Fuujin?" he asked.

Fuujin jerked slightly. "Uh… affirmative." She replied with a weak smile while saluting.

Seifer turned back to Zell and noticed the weird look on his face. "Hey, are you sure you got some good sleep last night… or did Quistis feed you some poison?" Zell asked him.

Seifer laughed out loud, surprising everyone in the lobby. Then, he stopped laughing and faced Zell once again. "Never mind… anyway, I wanted to ask you about Quisty… um… do you know the address to General Trepe's residence?" Seifer asked with a cool look.

Zell blinked. "Oh… uh… well, I'm not really sure. Why don't you just check out the student directory in the records section?" he asked, feeling a little bit weird.

Seifer smirked at him. "I thought you were her friend?" he asked.

"Well, she never really talked about her house and her daddy and where she lives but… really, Seifer, why do you want to go to General Trepe's residence all of a sudden?" Zell asked.

"None of your business, chicken-wuss." Seifer replied as he gently punched Zell's arm before proceeding down the steps. Fuujin joined Zell in confusion. 

Zell shrugged, quite surprised by Seifer's behavior. "Hey, Seifer, I'm just kinda surprised why Quistis was the one who got into intense trouble last night instead of you. It's highly unusual, you know," he told him.

Seifer stopped and clenched his fists. "Don't you test my temper, chicken-wuss!" he warned as he finally continued to go down the stairs.

Fuujin followed after him. "Seifer," she called out.

Zell watched them as they went away from him. He sighed and snickered. "Man, I think he's really insane!" he told himself as he started to go down the steps.

          Quistis sighed as she sat down on her seat at the dinner table in the dining room. 

"Really, my dear, I couldn't believe you could do such a thing. It's very unlikely of you." Mrs. Trepe told her daughter while shaking her head sideways in disapproval.

Quistis bowed down her head as she began to eat her breakfast. "It's just like what Headmaster Cid had explained to dad… I broke the window and let Seifer Almasy out because he really needed to go to the bathroom." She explained.

Mrs. Trepe giggled hysterically while General Trepe shook his head while a sly smile played on his lips. Quistis frowned. "Why?" she asked.

Mrs. Trepe stopped giggling and looked at her lovely daughter. "Cute." She remarked.

Quistis raised an eyebrow, totally clueless. Then, she turned to her father. 

General Trepe's smile faded. "Are you sure you're telling the truth, young lady?" he asked.

Quistis frowned slightly and looked down as she began to eat again. "Why would I lie?" she asked.

Her parents looked at each other and shrugged. Then, Mrs. Trepe smiled at her. "Dearie, I'd like to speak to you after breakfast in my study." She told her.

Quistis nodded.

          Seifer and Fuujin were seated in a long table in the cafeteria. When Selphie got there, she approached them. "Mind if I join you?" she asked cheerfully.

Seifer moved away a little so that she could sit down beside him, but Selphie sat down beside Fuujin, giving the light blonde-haired girl a cheery smile. Fuujin smiled back weakly, feeling a little shy because it was really unusual for Selphie to be so kind to her after those mean things she, Seifer and Raijin had been doing to Selphie's group.

"So, how's it going?" Selphie asked Fuujin.

"Um… affirmative." Fuujin replied with a shy look.

"Tilmitt, if you're just going to say to me that it's me who's supposed to be suspended and not Quistis, then I suggest you get lost before the Disciplinary Committee reports you to the headmaster for being rude." Seifer cut in with a warning look.

Selphie smiled happily at him. "Don't worry, Seifer. I'm not thinking about that… but I just want to ask how you guys are doing… especially you, Seifer… I mean, you've been punished yesterday. Have you been to the bathroom already?" she asked cheerfully.

Seifer wondered why Selphie doesn't even seem to be afraid of him. He couldn't help but smile at her. "Well yeah. Quistis let me go to the bathroom. The girl's got a soft spot after all." He told her with a cool look.

"Everyone knows that… but it hardly ever shows up! Oh well… you're back at the Garden after a month and I'd just like to know what happened to you." She told him.

"Just out there fishing. Besides, I don't even know what made me return in this stupid Garden. If it were really my choice, I'd drop! But I really want to be a SeeD cadet and one more try wouldn't hurt… right?" he explained.

She nodded. "Yeah! That's the spirit, Seifer! But it's a disappointment because you are not under Quisty anymore… she didn't get her license back…" she told him.

"Well… at least I'm back here." He said, feeling a little bothered because of the mention of Quistis' name.

They were quiet for a few moments until they noticed a woman approaching their table. Seifer smiled glumly. "Oh… mother." He said.

Mrs. Almasy came to them and sat down beside his son. Seifer turned back to his food. "So, how was your talk with Cid?" he asked glumly.

"Well… there were things you didn't tell me about… the negative ones, dearie." She replied with a stern look but still smiling at him. 

He looked at her. "Sorry…" he muttered under his breath.

Fuujin and Selphie just stared at them and they jerked when Mrs. Almasy turned to them. "Are they your friends? You haven't introduced me yet." She told him.

Seifer sighed. "Fuujin and Selphie… this is my mom." He introduced.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Almasy." The two girls said with a smile.

Mrs. Almasy nodded her head in greeting. She smiled cheerfully at them. "Well, it's nice to know that my son has female friends… tell me, which one of you is the girlfriend?" she asked with a wink.

"MOM?!" Seifer exclaimed.

Fuujin and Selphie exchanged confused looks when Mrs. Almasy began to giggle. "I was just kidding, son!" she told him as she slapped his back gently.

Seifer rolled his eyes and began to eat again.

Then, Mrs. Almasy turned to her son again. "By the way… I've excused you from your lessons today for the next few days because you are coming home with me." She told him. 

Seifer almost choked. "Why?" he asked.

"Well… since your next SeeD exam will be on the next month, and since you're already well-trained for it, why don't you just take a break at home? Your father misses you already and besides, we were invited to attend a birthday party this weekend." She explained.

"Who's the unlucky one to get older by a year again?" he asked in a joking manner.

"I don't know… your father was the one who got invited by one of his friends in the army." She replied.

Seifer sighed. "Do I have to?" he asked.

"You have to meet her! She's a fine young lady about your age and I'm sure you're going to like her… well, that's what your father had told me just before I came here to the cafeteria when I called him up." Mrs. Almasy said with a gentle smile. 

Seifer nodded. "Sure… sure, whatever you say, mom…" he told her.

Mrs. Almasy stood up. "Very well, dearie. I'll go wait for you in the car. Take your time." She told him before she left.

Selphie and Fuujin watched her as she exited the cafeteria. Then, they turned back to Seifer. "Gee… your mother looks young!" Selphie said with a smile.

"I know. She's only 38." He replied.

"38?!" the two girls said, hardly believing it.

"She looks like she's only 27 or something…" Selphie remarked.

"Believe it or not, girls." Seifer said as he stood up. "Gotta run." He told them before heading out.

Selphie looked at Fuujin. "Don't mind me saying but he's really a little different now…" she told her.

"AFFIRMATIVE!" Fuujin said, nodding her head.

Then, Zell approached them. "Hey, girls!" he said before sitting down. He's carrying a tray of hotdogs. "Where's Seifer?" he asked.

"His mother was here and she came to fetch him. She just asked for a vacation for him so that he could attend a party." Selphie replied.

Fuujin leaned back. "Why am I hanging out with you guys anyway?" she asked.

"Hey, don't be a kill-joy by hating us! It's quite bad if we hate each other again because of the past, right? Well then, I'm just curious… you didn't go after Seifer?" he asked.

"Because he seems different and I was just a little confused." Fuujin replied.

Zell laughed. "Yeah… and moments ago, he was asking for Quistis' address." He told them.

Selphie blinked. "Really?" she asked.

"What does he want with it anyway?" Fuujin asked them.

"No idea." Zell replied before gobbling up the first hotdog.

"You know, it's really a wonder because Quistis was the one who got into trouble instead of Seifer… I hope you don't mind me saying that, Fuujin." Selphie said.

Fuujin shook her head. "No problem… in fact, I am thinking of the same thing. It is unlikely for Trepie to destroy windows for the sake of others who are being punished." She told them almost in a whisper.

"Yeah… usually, it'd be Seifer who'd do such a thing…" Selphie told them.

          Quistis frowned slightly and sighed. "Mom, okay, I admit it. Seifer was the one who did the violation and I just took the blame for it so that he could go on and be a SeeD cadet… that's his dream." She explained as she looked at Mrs. Trepe in the eye. 

Mrs. Trepe sighed and approached her daughter. She patted her shoulder gently. "Honey, it was so unlikely of you to do such a thing. Why?" she asked with a kind smile.

Quistis shrugged. "I don't know… at first I didn't want to take the blame but something in me kinda pushed me to save his neck. After all, he's been into a lot of trouble for the past few months. I know that it was wrong because it's justifiable that if someone does something bad, he should be punished… but he is not the one being punished right now but me…" She trailed off. She looked down to the floor. "Sorry, I know I was wrong…" she continued.

Mrs. Trepe smiled gently and embraced her daughter. "It's okay, honey… I understand… I also did the same thing when I was your age. Your father did something stupid in Balamb Garden… he was in training to be a SeeD but he failed. In anger, he accidentally destroyed the headmaster's car in the parking lot." She explained, laughing softly.

Quistis blinked and raised an eyebrow. "Dad what?" she asked, hardly believing it. She pulled away from her mother's embrace and she was smiling ridiculously. "And you took the blame for it?" she asked.

Mrs. Trepe smiled proudly. "I did what I had to do… because I love him." She told her daughter.

"Love?" Quistis shivered at the word.

Mrs. Trepe nodded her head. "Yeah… and he was clueless until he asked me why I did it." She explained.

Quistis shook her head. "Mom, if you're telling me that you're thinking that I saved Seifer's neck because I love him," she began with a trembling voice.

Mrs. Trepe giggled. "Of course not, dearie!" she said before walking to her desk and taking a planner from the drawer. "Honey, it's your 19th birthday this weekend and your father and I had already fixed a party for you." She told her.

Quistis frowned. "A party?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yes, my dear daughter. Since we weren't able to celebrate your coming-out party when you turned 18 because you were at the Garden and your father and I had been busily traveling around the globe doing business, this is the only opportunity for us to throw a big party for you, our only beloved daughter." Mrs. Trepe explained as she placed the planner on the table.

Quistis gulped. "But… but…" she felt a little embarrassed and her mother couldn't help but notice it. Mrs. Trepe approached her once again. "Quisty, what's the matter?" she asked.

Quistis smiled weakly. "Well… thinking that I'm just adopted and…" she trailed off.

Mrs. Trepe smiled lovingly at her and embraced her once again. "Dear, you know that whatever happens, you'll always be my daughter…I'm sorry if your father and I had abandoned you in the Balamb Garden… it's just because of him wanting you to be a SeeD cadet… and we were really happy to know that you became a SeeD at age 15… you completely beat the record. We were really impressed and we really want to make it all up to you." She told her.

Quistis smiled. "Thanks mom." She said.

"Don't forget, Quisty… we love you." Mrs. Trepe told her.

Quistis nodded. "Yeah… I love you too, mom." She told her.

          Seifer got down from the car and was welcomed by the servants. "Welcome back, Master Seifer," they greeted.

He ignored them as he entered the big mansion. When he got inside, General Almasy was the one who surprised him with a tight hug. "Well, well, well, my boy! How's it going?" he asked in a low, gruff voice.

Seifer could hardly breathe but he still managed to answer with a voice that was almost a squeak. "Ugh… I'm fine, dad…" 

Mrs. Almasy entered and ordered the servants to take Seifer's luggage to his room. Then, she turned to her husband and frowned. "You're killing our son." She told him.

General Almasy let go of Seifer. "Oh, sorry about it… I just missed him, that's all." He said with a smile.

Seifer stepped away and ran up the stairs.

General and Mrs. Almasy followed him with their gazes. "What's up with him?" he asked.

"I think he just needs to go to the bathroom." She replied with a smile.

Then, the butler approached them. "General Almasy, sir…" he began while holding the cordless phone.

General Almasy turned and got the phone. "Yes?" he asked, answering the call. Then, he smiled. "Why yes, I'm coming there with my wife and son tomorrow! What time's the party?" he asked.

Mrs. Almasy smiled. 

After a few moments of chatting, General Almasy finally hung up. "Well, that was General Trepe. He sure is excited about his daughter's birthday party tomorrow." He told her.

She giggled. "What's the name of his daughter?" she asked.

"I forgot to ask…" General Almasy replied with a sheepish look.

"Well anyway, we'll be meeting her tomorrow… and by the way, we really need to buy a lovely gift for a 19 year-old young lady!" she said excitedly.


	3. Until We Meet Again

Quistis & Seifer

By: General Quistis

Chapter III: Until We Meet Again

Disclaimer: duh… what do you think???

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Seifer was lying down on his bed, staring up at the high ceiling. "This is really interesting… a boring day at home… I'd rather be at the Garden doing rounds for the Disciplinary Committee." He thought.

Then, his thoughts slowly came to the point on what Quistis did for him last night. "She saved my neck…" he thought. Then, he stood up and went to the window, looking outside. He could see other big houses from his view, but what caught his attention was the big mansion next door. A high wall was separating the Almasy residence from that house but he could still see the last 2 floors of the mansion next door. He smiled slyly, wondering what it would be like to meet the neighbors, but he was interrupted when he saw a young lady with long blonde hair moving around one of the rooms. The curtains were tied to the sides of the windows but the reflection of the light from outside made Seifer's view of the inside of the room a little bit unclear. He blinked twice as he focused his gaze on the blonde girl. She was holding something on her hand. "Probably a hairbrush…" he thought. The girl was wearing a blue sundress with a floral design. She moved gracefully and she was well-poised. Seifer smiled upon remembering his former instructor through that girl. "Maybe I could meet her…" he thought to himself as he removed his trench coat and went outside. 

To his surprise, General Almasy was there. "I saw you looking out there through the keyhole!" he teased.

Seifer jerked and blushed slightly. "DAD?! You're spying on me?" he demanded. General Almasy laughed hysterically and patted his son's head. "You're a tall man. Got any girlfriend to introduce to us?" he asked.

"N…no girlfriends, dad…" Seifer replied while stammering. "…though I have my eyes on someone already…" he thought silently with a slight smile.

"By the way, have you seen the clothes you're gonna wear on the party this Saturday?" General Almasy asked.

Seifer nodded. "Nice colors… anyway, I sure wanna meet the neighbors…" 

General Almasy cut off Seifer's words when he raised his right hand to his shoulder. "General Trepe is really excited to meet you, son… and you know what, I heard he has a lovely daughter your age!" He said excitedly.

Seifer's eyes grew wide upon hearing the surname. "Trepe?" he asked.

"Why yes, why?" General Almasy asked.

Seifer frowned slightly. "Who's he?" he asked.

"Oh, he's a friend of mine from the army… rich, powerful, respectful and honored by several people. He was the one who invited us to his daughter's party… I forgot her name…" General Almasy explained.

Seifer nodded solemnly. "Uh-huh… I see… and where's his daughter?" he asked curiously.

"At home, where else. They left her at one of the Gardens but they decided to take her back because she's their only heiress… she's adopted but they say that it's no problem… they knew they loved her because they missed her. She's a nice warrior though…a top-notcher…" General Almasy trailed off when he saw Seifer's eyes lit up. "DAD! DAD! DAD! Can I go and meet her now?" he asked.

General Almasy arched an eyebrow. "Why… why yes, son… go ahead… so that by tomorrow, you can be comfortable with her during her birthday." He told his son. "I'll come with you. Wait for me at the gate, I'll just go to the bathroom first." He continued.

Seifer ran to the stairs. As he was headed to the front door, he had some thoughts, "Today's Friday, October 3… tomorrow's a Saturday, October 4… I get it now…" he thought. Then, before he could open the door, he stopped in his tracks, remembering something. "Shit… what if she still hates me…" he thought.

          Quistis gathered up her hair and twisted it up her head. After she placed the clamp to hold it up, she got her glasses and looked at it. She frowned upon seeing it, remembering her days as an instructor. "Did I actually wear these to make myself look older and respectable?" she thought. Then, she placed it down when she heard a knock on her door. "Yes?" she called out.

"Dear, we have visitors downstairs at the garden gazebo… it's your father's friend, General Almasy and his only son!" Mrs. Trepe called out.

Quistis frowned slightly. "Almasy?" she thought in perplexity as she stood up and got her denim jacket, wearing it before she got out. "I've always been the conservative girl…" she thought as she followed her mother. "Who's the son?" she asked.

Mrs. Trepe smiled happily at her daughter. "I'm sure you're going to like him… he's such a handsome young lad your age and he's also from your garden! He told me that you were his former instructor, isn't that intriguing?" she asked excitedly while they were on their way to the garden.

Quistis felt a little bad. "Mom, do I have to?" she asked.

Mrs. Trepe didn't listen to her. Quistis knew that her mother meant business when she wanted her to meet…

"Seifer…" Quistis thought with a slight shiver. Memories began to playback on her mind. She could still feel his arms embracing her, comforting her; his hands stroking her hair; his warm breath on her head… She shook those thoughts away when she felt her cheeks getting warmer. She frowned deeply as soon as they arrived at the gazebo. 

Seifer's eyes were wide in disbelief upon seeing Quistis in such a dress. "Q…Q…" he didn't know how to say her name.

"This is my daughter, Quistis… and Quistis, this is…" before Mrs. Trepe could finish, Quistis spoke up, "Seifer Almasy… yes, I know him, mother." 

General Almasy stood up and went to Mrs. Trepe. "Well, we'll leave you kids here for a while… we'll just see General Trepe in his office." He told them.

Quistis and Seifer were silent as they sat far apart from each other. As soon as their parents had gone inside, Seifer moved closer to her with a smile on his face. "Hey, Trepenator, how's it going?" he asked.

She wasn't looking at him. "I'm fine…" she muttered glumly.

"You don't sound fine…" he told her.

"Who would sound fine if she got suspended?!?" she snapped, turning her gaze to him. To her surprise, he was still smiling at her, but this time, it was different… he was smiling lovingly at her. She looked away and crossed her arms. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I'm on vacation before my exams… besides, I was invited tomorrow to your party… and I was just wondering if you're still mad at me…" he trailed off when she turned to him.

"I forgot that you'll be having your exams next month… well, good luck to you, Almasy… I just hope that you don't end up getting careless again and by the way, do follow your instructor's commands." She told him with a sarcastic smile.

The wind was already beginning to get colder on that October afternoon and they could hear it blowing against the roof of the gazebo. 

He sighed heavily but he found out that he didn't know what to say. 

There was silence for several minutes but those minutes seemed like it would take forever to end them… 

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Author's note: maybe I'll continue this later on once I get the right inspiration! INSPIRE ME! ;_; review! Review! Review!


	4. The Blame

Quistis and Seifer

By: General Quistis

Chapter IV: The Blame

Disclaimer: …ya know?!

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay… I know it's very delayed, but I've been trying to get inspiration when it comes to love… oh you know, being broken-hearted and all… I've lost my Seifer… ;_; but anyway, here it is… and I dedicate this to him…

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The winds began to blow harder and Quistis had to sit properly and hold on to her skirt so that it won't go up flying. "Stupid wind…" she muttered.

"So, this is such a great surprise… you and me outside the Garden." He told her.

"I know," she said glumly, feeling a little tense all of a sudden.

Seifer noticed that she's been avoiding his gaze ever since they were left alone in that gazebo. He shrugged. "How are you?" he asked.

"Fine, thank you, Mister Almasy," she replied with a respectable tone.

"I can't wait to get back to the Garden. I miss everyone there!" he said with cheery tone. "Nice going, Seifer, go ahead, sound like you're out of character today… just because you don't know what to say to the lady…" he thought miserably.

"Me too…" she replied, quite unsure.

Silence again.

"So, when do you plan to talk? I can't spend the remaining hours of daylight sitting here with you and not saying anything! Or maybe you'd like us to remain here seated and silent for 24 hours? I can do that, considering the fact that I'm already beginning to become a loner." He said.

She studied him. "Since when did you start to become a loner?" she asked with a curious look on her face.

"Ever since I realized what a big fool I am." He replied.

She laughed at what he said. He frowned. "What's so funny?" he demanded.

She stood up and walked away, not even bothering to look back even when he called out her name and demanded an explanation for her sudden laughter and where she's going.

Moments later, Seifer was already alone, wishing that he'd never convinced his dad that he wanted to meet General Trepe's daughter. He pounded on the seat and stood up, feeling so insulted… but just as he was about to leave, he saw Quistis coming out of the house once again with a tray of cookies and some lemonade for two people. He stopped upon seeing her and he observed her as she placed the tray down on the center table. She noticed the way he was gaping at her so she crossed her arms. "Why are you looking at me like it's the first time you've seen some girl carrying a tray of food?" she asked.

He looked away and sat down. 

"So, you wanna talk about your problem with me?" she asked as she sat down beside him.

He studied her for a while, "To trust Trepe or not, that is the question… what if she's just one of those dumb spies from Garden…" he thought silently to himself.

"Are you sure you wanna hear his problems, Quisty? What if they're longer than the longest novel ever written?" she scolded herself silently as she began to eat.

"Why, are you the new shrink in the Infirmary?" he joked with a teasing look on his face.

"I'm serious when I'm serious, okay?" she snapped, making his teasing smile fade. 

He looked away. "I don't know if the problem's in me or the people around me… but it's really giving me a hard time… I mean, I admit that I've always been the mean guy in this story but…but I'm trying to change!" he said with an uneasy look on his face.

Quistis was silent for a while. She sighed heavily. "They're the ones with the problem, Seifer… because they don't understand you…" she told him softly.

Seifer shook his head slightly. "Nah, I think it's really me…" he replied.

"No, it's them." She replied.

Seifer looked at her. "Oh, and you're one of them?" he asked.

"No, I'm not one of them…"

"How can you be so sure that you're not one of them?" he cut her off.

"Look," she began.

"Aw, WHATEVER!" he stood stomped his foot. "Dammit, Quistis! I'm also human! Admit it, you were also among those people who misunderstood me!" he told her angrily.

Quistis was quiet as she stared blankly at him. "No use arguing with him, it'll only make things worse…" she thought silently as she took a deep breath before finally speaking up with a slightly trembling voice, "Yes, I was among those… but looking at you closely now, I think we both have problems. I'm also human too, you know?" 

Seifer was quiet. Then, he just smiled and raised an eyebrow, "Oh, so if we're both human, what are they?" he asked.

Quistis smirked and snickered. "Squall could be a T-Rexaur of some sort," she kidded, and to her amazement, Seifer laughed.

The two continued to laugh for a while, but stopped and stiffened once again when Mrs. Trepe came to them. She froze at the sight of them just staring stiffly at each other and not talking. "Quisty, what the hell is going on? Why aren't you talking to Seifer?" she demanded with a gentle tone.

Quistis just stared at Seifer. "Oh, you know… shy boys…" she replied.

Seifer made a face.

Mrs. Trepe scratched her head and just nodded her head uneasily. "Well… did you say something to break the ice?" she asked.

Seifer turned to Mrs. Trepe. "Your daughter said, 'oh, Seifer, I missed you! Do you wanna have sex with me? Heeheehee!' It sure helped to break the ice!" Seifer joked with a feminine voice while trying to imitate Quistis's usual demure movements.

It was a good thing that Mrs. Trepe was not able to fully understand what Seifer had just said because a motorcycle passed by outside, so she just said, "What?" with a perplexed look on her face.

Quistis's mouth was wide open as she gaped unbelievably at Seifer.

Seifer smiled slyly at Mrs. Trepe, "Oh nothing, Ma'am… it's just that, you have a very beautiful daughter and I'm sure she has so many admirers but unfortunately, she's very conservative," he told her while eyeing the denim jacket that Quistis was wearing.

Quistis eyed him carefully.

Mrs. Trepe eyed her daughter. "He's right, Quisty… but don't worry, I purchased a very sexy gown for your birthday party! Ohohohohohoho!" she laughed happily as she patted her daughter's head. 

Quistis moved away and stood up. "Mom, you didn't…" she began.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous, Quistis. I'm sure you'll look good on it. It's red and it has a very high slit and you'll be showing off your cleavage and…" Mrs. Trepe began to blab.

"Can I wear a shawl?" Quistis asked with a weak smile on her face.

Seifer covered his mouth to prevent himself from laughing.

"Of course not! You'll ruin the beauty and elegance of the gown if you wear a shawl." Mrs. Trepe replied.

"But mom, I don't want to expose my arms." Quistis explained.

"Oh, no. For once, can't you be daring? It won't harm you." Mrs. Trepe replied with a sweet smile on her face as she patted her daughter's shoulder.

"Unless she has black underarms… hehehe…" Seifer muttered.

"I heard that," Quistis muttered back.

Mrs. Trepe just shrugged. "Well, I'd better go back inside. Just checking if you guys are okay here… oh, and Seifer, you'll be Quisty's escort tomorrow, okay?" she said before running back inside.

The two were quiet as until Mrs. Trepe had finally disappeared through the back door. "Your mom's still lively for her age." Seifer said.

"What the hell are you trying to prove, Almasy?" Quistis asked as she crossed her arms.

"That I'll be your escort tomorrow evening?" Seifer asked with an innocent smile on his face.

Quistis just shook her head. "I don't see the point in what you said… but I'd better check on the invitations and hope that they invited Squall, Rinoa, Selphie, Zell and Irvine… including Matron, Raijin, Fuujin and Headmaster Cid," she told him before she started down the gazebo.

Seifer got up and went after her and grabbed her hand to stop her. "No, don't invite them!" he told her.

Quistis faced him with a shocked look on her face. "And why not?" she asked.

Seifer wanted to smack himself for telling her that. "C'mon, Seifer… tell her… it's now or never…" he scolded himself silently. He let go of her. "This is the only time that we can spend time together outside Garden and you're ruining this moment by inviting those people… wait, before you say anything more, I know that they're significant people in your life… they are, too, in mine; but…" he trailed off when he saw Quistis's ears getting red, and he just smiled teasingly at her. "Hey, your ears are red, what happened?" he asked.

Quistis clenched her fists and gritted her teeth before punching him on the nose. "Be thankful that my Save The Queen isn't here with me right now or it could've gotten worse…" she said while walking away.

Seifer struggled to stand up while pinching his bleeding nose. He was laughing. "Hehehe, hey, Instructor! You're right! It could've gotten worse… but you know, if Save The Queen's with you, I'll just show you my Hyperion… and I don't mean my gunblade!" he called out with a nasty smirk.

Quistis stopped walking, realizing what he had just said. She just shook her head in disbelief, feeling her face getting hotter, but she still faced him. "Look, Seifer Almasy, I'm trying to get serious here and you end up kidding around like some kind of a clown of some sort… how can I understand you if you don't understand me?" she asked before she walked inside the house, leaving Seifer there, completely stunned.

He clenched his fists and pounded his own head. "Damn it! I screwed up again!" he cursed angrily. He sighed heavily as he looked up at the blue skies. "Great… how am I going to show myself up to her tomorrow evening?" he muttered glumly.

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**--- ****J so… how was it? REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! @o@ **

**generalquistis@yahoo.com generalquistis@yahoo.com generalquistis@yahoo.com generalquistis@yahoo.com :D somebody stop me… -,-**


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